1 Behavior in current Grml versions
2 ---------------------------------
4 This section applies to all Grml versions newer than release 2009.05.
6 The central concept of grml-autoconfig is the DCS directory which holds debs,
7 configuration and scripts which are used during system startup.
9 Determination of DCS directory
10 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
12 The DCS directory defaults to the root directory of the GRML live image. If a
13 file system labeled GRMLCFG is found, the DCS directory is the root directory of
14 that file system. Alternatively, the myconfig boot parameter can be used to
15 directly specify a device which is then taken as DCS directory
16 (myconfig=/dev/sda1, for example).
18 Without any additional boot parameters, the GCA at DCSDIR/config.tbz is
19 automatically unpacked and DCSDIR/scrips/grml.sh is automatically executed on
20 system startup. The 'noautoconfig' boot parameter disables this automatic
26 The following boot parameters are supported. Use them at the (isolinux)
27 bootprompt as documented here.
31 This parameter directly sets DCSDIR to the root directory of the specified
32 device. Usage examples:
34 myconfig=/dev/sda1 => read DCS from usb-device
35 myconfig=/dev/fd0 => read DCS from floppy-disk
39 This parameter is for setting a specific partition as home directory. Usage
42 home=/dev/sda3 => use /dev/sda3 as the homepartition
43 home=scan => scan through the available partitions and search
48 This parameter mounts the specified device in read-only mode and tries to
49 copy all files specified in /etc/grml/partconf to the Grml system. This
50 provides the possibility to use the configuration of a harddisk
51 installation. For example using the network configuration (which is
52 specified in /etc/network) is possible using this boot parameter. Usage
55 partconf=/dev/sda2 => try to mount /dev/sda2 and copy files specified
56 in /etc/grml/partconf to the booted Grml system
60 Use this parameter to restore configuration using wget to download a GCA
61 from the specified destination. You can also add variables to change the
62 file name depending on the host configuration. Predefined and useful
63 variables are $ARCH, $HOSTNAME and $KERNEL. Usage example:
65 netconfig=server.tld/path/to/config.tbz => restore configuration using wget to download file config.tbz
66 netconfig=server.tld/config-$ARCH.tbz => download config for specified architecture
69 Use this parameter to download and run a script from specified destination:
70 You can also add variables to change the file name depending on the host
71 configuration. Predefined and useful variables are $ARCH, $HOSTNAME and
72 $KERNEL. The environment variable NETSCRIPT is set to the specified URI.
73 This can be used to detect if the script is executed via the netscript bootoption.
76 netcript=server.tld/path/to/script => download and run script/executable from server
77 netscript=server.tld/script-$HOSTNAME => download and run script/executable for specific host
81 Extract specific directories from the GCA which needs to be specified by
84 extract=/home/grml => extract only /home/grml from archive
85 extract=/etc => extract only /etc from archive
86 extract=/home/grml/config => extract only $HOME/config from archive
90 This parameter executes scripts. If an optional path is given, it is
91 relative to DCSDIR. If the path points to a file, this single file is
92 executed. If no path is given, it defaults to scripts/grml.sh.
93 If the given name points to a directory, all scripts inside it are
94 executed, but the run-parts name restrictions apply: script names must
95 consist entirely of upper and lower case letters, digits, underscores,
96 and hyphens. Usage examples:
98 scripts => run script DCSDIR/scripts/grml.sh
99 scripts=foobar.sh => run script foobar.sh in DCSDIR
100 scripts=foobar => run all scripts inside DCSDIR/foobar directory
104 This parameter restores a configuration using a GCA. If an optional path is
105 given, it is relative to DCSDIR. If no path is given, it defaults to
106 DCSDIR/config.tbz. Usage examples:
108 config => restore configuration using file DCSDIR/config.tbz
109 config=config_foobar.tbz => restore configuration using file DCSDIR/config_foobar.tbz
113 This parameter allows automatic installation of deb packages while booting.
114 The path is relative to DCSDIR, not optional and is a shell wildcard. All
115 Files matching the wildcard are installed in a single dpkg --install call.
116 For backwards compatibility, if no slash is contained in the path, it is
117 taken relative to DCSDIR/debs.
121 debs=*.deb => install all debian packages (suffix .deb) from directory DCSDIR/debs/
122 debs=foo/01*.deb => install all debian packages (suffix .deb) starting with 01 in the filename from directory DCSDIR/foo
126 Search all local partitions and dm devices for file /etc/network/interfaces and
127 copy the directory /etc/network to the grml system and restart networking.
131 Deactivate automounting. By default the scripts try to mount a device with
132 label 'GRMLCFG'. If you specify the noautoconfig bootparam this automounting
135 noautoconfig => disables auto mounting of label 'GRMLCFG'
138 Permanently adjust boot parameters
139 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
141 As you probably know you can adjust boot parameters on the bootprompt. You want
142 to set some boot parameters permanently? That's possible via adding a directory
143 named 'bootparams' to the Grml ISO which has to be located at the root-directory
144 /bootparams/ (note: the directory is known as /live/image/bootparams/ on a
145 _running_ Grml system then). Place a textfile inside the directory containing
146 the boot parameters which should be appended to default ones (this corresponds
147 to booting without any special parameters).
150 echo lang=de > bootparams/my_bootparams
152 Then burn a multisession CD where directory bootparams is located in the root
156 Not all boot parameters can be used via /bootparams/. This is a limitation of
157 the way the kernel and userspace retrieve boot parameters. Boot parameter
158 regarding the kernel definitely do *NOT* work. Boot parameter related to
159 grml-autoconfig (the main part of the boot process in Grml running in userspace,
160 being all the stuff after startup of udev) are expected to work. Boot parameter
161 related to initrd/initramfs (the part between 'Searching for GRML file' and
162 startup of udev) are *NOT* covered by /bootparams/ as well yet.
164 TIP: the application k3b (not available on the live-CD but available through the
165 Debian repositories) provides an easy to use interface for doing the